I do not own any of these characters, Libba Bray does. I profoundly thank her for creating them, for they are truly wonderful!
I grasped hands with Pippa and Felicity. Shadows from the girls' candle flickered on the cave walls, lighting crudely made drawings. I eyed only one symbol: the crescent eye.
Felicity's hand squeezed mine. I smile at her and looked around the circle.
There was darling Ann, plump and worrisome. There were angry crisscross marks on her wrist, signs of a new self-inflicted torture. Ann looks up at me and let of Pippa's hand to pull down the sleeves of her dress to hide the scratches.
Impatient Felicity was fidgeting, waiting for me to make the door of light appear. Felicity's golden curls waved gently over her shoulders. Her gray eyes penetrate mine.
Pippa was the most beautiful of all the girls. Her white school dress was as clean as always and her black hair was beautifully styled. Pippa's violet eyes watched Felicity, a sure sign of their close friendship.
"Okay everyone, concentrate." I whisper the words; the blanket of silence was broken. Felicity rolled her eyes; they had done this before many times.
I smile and closed my eyes. The door of light appeared and my crescent eye amulet glowed as I approached the door. The glow was almost blinding as my pale arm opens the door of light.
The garden was as beautiful as always. The stream bubbled and sang, and white blossoms fell from the trees. Healthy, green grass blew in the pleasant breeze.
Pippa was the first to break from the garden's trance. She laughed and twirled in the tall grass, her skirt flowed around her. "What shall we do with the magic today?" She said softly.
"I would like to be beautiful again," Ann says as she steps forward. She closes her eyes and she is more beautiful than before. All her worries are gone and Ann reveals herself as the girl she would be. She bends down toward the river and looks at herself in its reflection.
"You are a true beauty Annie," Felicity joins her at the shore. Felicity herself closes her eyes and a carved wooden bow appears in her hand. "It's time for a little practice," she says with a smile. A cheerfully colored target appears under a large tree far from Felicity.
A knight, Pippa's knight, steps out from behind a tree. He kneels in front of her, holding out an offering of singing flowers. "Milady, I lose myself in the beauty of your eyes!" Pippa took the flowers and inhales deeply. For now, she has someone to love and want her.
I can't help but noticing all my friends has their hearts desires but me. I, Gemma Doyle, am somehow always the one wanting and needing something. Somewhere deep inside I know what I want: Kartik. He doesn't want me, he only puts up with me because he is ordered to.
I will try to make do with what I have. I wander off by myself, circling around Felicity, Pippa, her knight, and Ann. The wooden bridge that led's across the river welcomes me.
"Mother?" I call. I want to escape my only friends and seek the comfort my mother's arms. The aroma of skin-warmed rosewater enters my senses before my mother does.
Her green eyes, which are so like mine, find me. A smile breaks out on her face. "My darling Gemma," she says. "Mother," I call as I rush into her arms. I foolishly trip on my many skirts and petticoats.
Mary Dowd, other known as Virginia Doyle, pulls me close. My head rests on her bosom. Her blue dress swallows me.
My mother takes my hand and leads me back over the bridge. I hear Felicity's happiness as she makes a bulls-eye. We walk along the river, closer to my friends. Mother sits down on the soft grass, patting the spot next to her. I cross my legs next to her and watch Pippa with her knight. Ann's singing drifts towards us.
I never want this moment to end.